The Bureau of Dog Law
Enforcement will be conducting a license canvas in Berks County on April 11th.
Multiple wardens will be going door to door educating dog owners as well as
checking the status of their dog licenses and rabies vaccinations​. The Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement is
responsible for ensuring the welfare of dogs and puppies in licensed kennels.
The Bureau also regulates activities pertaining to dogs that are classified as
dangerous, and oversees annual licensure and rabies vaccinations for dogs.

Our state dog wardens:

-Enforce licensing and rabies laws

-Seize and detain any dog viewed running at large without its owner

-Investigate dog bites and establish and enforce quarantine of dogs

-Enforce kennel licensing and regulations through at least two
inspections each year of every licensed kennel

-Maintain a registry of dogs declared dangerous by a magisterial district
judge and perform dangerous dog inspections

-Prosecute dog law violations in court

-Provide educational services about dog ownership

Pennsylvania’s Rabies Law:

Ignoring Pennsylvania’s rabies vaccination law can
be costly – in more ways than one. Dogs
and cats are exposed to the rabies virus through wild and stray animals, posing
a threat to their health and yours.

-Dogs and cats three months or older must have a current rabies
vaccination

-Owners of non-vaccinated pets may be fined up to $300 plus court costs

-Licensed veterinarians can vaccinate dogs and provide a vaccination
certificate

-All dogs three months or older must be licensed by Jan. 1 of each year

-Owners of non-licensed dogs can be cited with a maximum fine of $300 per
dog plus court costs

-Dog wardens randomly canvass neighborhoods to ensure all dogs are
licensed, violators may be fined

-If your dog gets lost, a current license is the fastest way to get your
dog back home

-Licensing fees help the millions of dogs in Pennsylvania by funding the
Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement

-Purchase a license from your local county treasurer or issuing agent

-An annual license is $8.50 and a lifetime license is $51.50, if your dog
is spayed or neutered, the annual fee is $6.50 and lifetime is $31.50, discounts
are available to older adults and people with disabilities

Pennsylvania’s Dog Laws:

-If your dog is not licensed, you may be fined up to $300 per dog. Get a license at your county treasurer’s
office.

-Your dog must be under control and supervised at all times. You are responsible for any damages caused by
your dog on someone else’s property.

-It is illegal to mistreat or abuse animals. Report suspected abuse to your local humane
organization or police.

-Purposely poisoning a dog, whether it is yours or someone else’s, is
illegal.

-You may not abandon or attempt to abandon any dog. You could be fined
$1,000 plus court costs.

-Puppies under eight weeks old cannot be bartered, traded, sold, or
transferred.

-You must have a kennel license if you keep, sell, transfer, adopt or
foster at least 26 dogs in a calendar year.

-If your dog attacks or kills a human or domestic animal without
provocation, it may be considered dangerous. You may face extensive fines and restrictions.